Christ is the Focus

Christ is the comfort of our life. All our true joys come from Him, and in times of trouble, His presence is our consolation. Nothing but Him is worth living for, and His lovingkindness is better than life (Psalm 63:3).  - Spurgeon

Knowing You

All I once held dear, built my life uponAll this world reveres, and wars to own
All I once thought gain I have counted loss
Spent and worthless now, compared to this

Knowing you, Jesus
Knowing you, there is no greater thing
You're my all, you're the best
You're my joy, my righteousness
And I love you, Lord

Now my heart's desire is to know you more
To be found in you and known as yours
To possess by faith what I could not earn
All-surpassing gift of righteousness

Oh, to know the power of your risen life
And to know You in Your sufferings
To become like you in your death, my Lord
So with you to live and never die

This morning my thoughts were elsewhere but it seems God brought me to the song above after reading what I did.

My mind doesn't think on things like I used to.  My priorities are different today that in days gone by.  I don't have to get up as early as I do, but I do because it's when I get to meet with Jesus, to read about what's important to Him.  To write and hopefully make a difference in someone's life.

Yesterday was a talk about temptation.  It sort of continues into today.  How does temptation tie in with a song like Knowing You?  Well...

Consider 99 percent of your life will be spent taking in information. Reacting to that information. Sorting, prioritizing, sifting that information. 

You will make decisions from the moment you awake til the moment your eyes close to sleep.  All based on information you take in.

The Bible is clear that there are but two types of decisions. Good and bad. Righteous and unrighteous. Right and wrong.  Wisdom is the differentiator.  It's what is used to make the right choice. 
Scripture says that if anyone lacks wisdom he or she should ask of God, who gives it freely.

Temptation flies in the face of wisdom.

Wisdom is you on a highway to a destination and you are following directions, staying the course.

Temptation is everything from billboards to off ramps to stop lights to a squirrel on the road in your way.

Temptation has but one desire.  To remove your focus from Jesus.

And it's justified! Yes, we justify our temptation!  One or a dozen more of those billboards tell you how much you deserve this or that. How you are worth it.  How much better you will feel.  How much better it will make you look.

Temptations that puff you up. Magnify you.  Make you the king of your life.

Read the New Testament again, you will find what you and I deserve.  It isn't what's on those billboards.

Grace is what God gives in the face of temptation.  Unmerited favor is what Grace stands for.  Getting what we do not deserve.  Mercy we get is not getting what we do deserve.

The writers of the New Testament, when you take it as a whole, are preparing you to realize that this world will do everything that it can to take your mind and life off of God and put it solely on you.

Idolatry is putting anything in this life on a higher level of importance than God. 
It can be anything from your job to sports, recreation, to even your family.  Anything.

Jesus, on several occasions, mentioned that His food was to do the will of His Father.  Doing what's right in God's eyes is more important than even eating.

We live in a me me me me world.  My rights, my way, my desires, my fulfillment.

As a Disciple all areas of our lives are not our own.  We deny ourselves in order to learn to be like our Master, Jesus Christ.

It's seriously not easy.  You can face ridicule, mockery, anger, disappointment in others.  People won't understand you. They will avoid you.

There's a promise of liberty in Christ but also one of trials and temptations. We will have troubles in this life when we choose to follow Christ.   Why?  First is to cause growth.  Second is because of Satan wanting to shut us down.

So think about this today.